U.S. stocks bounced back sharply on Friday as investors snapped up beaten-down shares in the healthcare and technology sectors, and as data gave further signs of a pickup in the economy.
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Rocket Internet cuts stakes in two lending sites: Spiegel
Rocket Internet, a tech investor focused on emerging market ventures, has reduced its stakes in two of its Europe-focused financial services start-ups after facing setbacks there, Germany's Spiegel magazine said.
LinkedIn follows Twitter, shocks social media investors
Another day, another shock for investors in social media stocks. Shares of LinkedIn Corp, operator of the most popular social network for professionals, fell 20 percent in early trading on Friday, wiping out more than $6 billion of market value, after the company slashed its full-year forecast.
U.S., UK, China manufacturing all in slow lane
Manufacturing activity growth remained sluggish in some of the world's major economies in April, suggesting that global economic growth remains "moderate and uneven," as the International Monetary Fund described it in its World Economic Outlook in April.
U.S. auto sales disappoint in April as Asian automakers miss mark
U.S. auto industry sales in April came in below expectations as Asia's major carmakers' results disappointed, offsetting strong gains for trucks and SUVs made by General Motors (GM.N) and Ford (F.N).
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Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc on Friday said first-quarter profit rose 10 percent, and operating results easily beat forecasts, boosted by its railroad and insurance businesses and gains from derivatives.
Expansion in the U.S. manufacturing sector weakened in April as growth in output and new orders fell, according to an industry report released on Friday.
Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O) on Thursday unveiled Tesla Energy - storage systems or batteries for homes, companies and utilities that will expand its business beyond electric vehicles and tap into a fast-growing area of the energy industry.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives who are trying to end the decades-old ban on U.S. crude oil exports said on Thursday they were gaining support after a Democrat joined the Republican-led effort. Representative Henry Cuellar became the first Democrat to sign on to a bill launched in February by Representative Joe Barton, a Republican and fellow Texan.
Monsanto (MON.N), the world's largest seed company has again approached Switzerland's Syngenta (SYNN.VX) in recent weeks with an offer to buy the company, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.
Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC.N) and Charter Communications Inc (CHTR.O) separately held acquisition talks with Bright House Networks, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.
Oil rounded out its best monthly gain in six years on Thursday, with the two global benchmarks for crude rising between 20 and 25 percent in April, helped by a weaker dollar and bets that a supply glut would ease.
Stock markets worldwide posted a second straight session of losses on Thursday after more weak earnings reports, with all three major U.S. indexes plunging more than 1 percent.
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) is the mystery bidder for Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (SOBIV.ST), the rare disease specialist which disclosed this week that a potential buyer had made a preliminary offer, people with knowledge of the situation said.
